Lady Called Police on Dog in Car with Dog Mode Running!

[idoco]

As far as Dog in the car. I've had the cops called twice on me. Once they saw the dash they said no prob but one did advice to put a note on the drivers' side window. This was in S California.

Not mine...but similar

 

[DopeGhoti]

What's not to like about Fahrenheit? Generally, humans think it hot when it's 100° and it cold when it's 0°.

I grew up in Vermont, and I know my way around cold. It did not have to get down to the temperature at which water freezes for me to think "it's cold outside".

Now that I live in Phoenix, my long-standing mantra still applies: "It ain't cold less'n you can see your breath."

 

[erik_k]

So not only have I had the police called for my dogs in the Tesla (Lady Called Police on Dog in Car with Dog Mode Running!), I've also called the police for dogs in a car on a hot day.

After waiting by the car for over an hour (waiting for owners or police to show up) we decided to open the car windows in a "non-destructive" manner.

If animals are in danger it’s a judgement call. Had the owner left a sign/note with their name and number opening their car may not have been necessary.

LEAVE A NOTE if your animals will be in your unattended car.

I’m not aware of a non-destructive way to open a car window unless you have a slim-Jim to pop the door lock. Can you elaborate?

 

[idoco]

Again, if animals are in danger it’s a judgement call. Had the owner left a sign/note with their name and number opening their car may not have been necessary.

LEAVE A NOTE if your animals will be in your unattended car.

This plastered all over the car...plus dog mode on screen. And they still call the cops

 

[erik_k]

This plastered all over the car...plus dog mode on screen. And they still call the cops

View attachment 453395

What happened? Did cops or anyone break a window or was it an informational conversation?

This plastered all over the car...plus dog mode on screen. And they still call the cops

View attachment 453395

I think in America today people call the cops for just about anything. It’s like people don’t know how to have a conversation or disagreement with someone without a referee. I’m with you, a quick call may have alleviated their concerns but maybe they wanted for the police to cite you under some “well-intentioned” but misguided law.

 

[imjustdave]

Everyone who says Dog mode … Assumes everyone in the world knows what Dog mode is.
Is it a video game?
is it a virtual dog?
Will the car Bark at me if I touch it?
Is it a security measure?
Go ask 100 people who don't own a tesla and see what they say....

I'm sure there are lots of terms in the line of work you do that your friends have no idea what they mean. Tesla is no different.

I like the idea of signs on the windows, it helps educate others. yes the big screen has info, but no other car has info that is on

The one thing that I wonder about is what happens if the AC fails? Say someone hits your car and drives away but breaks the evaporator, or it just fails to function... rare yes.. but its mechanical it can happen and given enough time it will happen. Or the car locks up and reboots, or some sort of update is sent to the car, or battery dies or the human is well human and turns it off for some reason.... I feel these are all valid Q.

Also as I understand it Dog mode must be enabled, what happens when a poor animal is in a Tesla that doesn't have dog mode enabled, I suspect people might stop calling, and or the cops might hear tesla and brush it off and not help.

I also heard Dog mode wasn't really designed for dogs in mind initially but as a way to protect the screen from yellowing as the tech for the screen wasn't designed to deal with the heat cars produce closed up under a hot sun.

While I like the idea, I question if all of the possible issue, outcomes, ETC have been seriously considered as a society. Seems to be as many things in life make our life easier they create new issues along the way. ​

 

[idoco]

I’m not aware of a non-destructive way to open a car window unless you have a slim-Jim to pop the door lock. Can you elaborate?

Hypothetically... push or down/wedge something between window and seal to make space. Then whatever you have around or a long arm to grab inside door handle.

*Not advocating or endorsing in any way. Only meant to be used if you lock your keys in your car. Plus if an alarm is on it will set it off. *

 

[KenC]

The problem is that in many places (certainly here in Texas) it is ILLEGAL to leave a dog in a vehicle unattended.

The law was written before "Dog Mode" made this practice safe.

So while it should be perfectly SAFE to leave your dog in the car (with Dog Mode enabled) - it's still not LEGAL...well, maybe it is in your state - maybe not.

Getting the law changed would be a good thing for Tesla owners - but I do see problems. How can people determine whether the dog is safe or not? Having the law say "If there is a prominent dashboard display that says that the dog is OK - then it's legal"...would be decidedly problematic. Most other cars don't have a giant display that's easy to see from outside the car. Having the law say "It's OK if the temperature inside the car is actively maintained between 60 and 85 degF (or whatever)" is also problematic because a police officer can't measure the temperature inside the car to see if you broke the law or not.

So - as with MANY other things relating to super-intelligent electric cars - we're waiting on the laws to catch up.

Meanwhile - (as it actually SAYS in the owner's manual) you're doing this at your own risk if you live somewhere where you're still breaking the law - even though you aren't actually endangering your dog.

Time to write your legislator.

In the interim, when you hang your sign, also hang a fridge thermometer!

 

[idoco]

What happened? Did cops or anyone break a window or was it an informational conversation?

Tin Poodle: The road to hell is lined with....

 

[SW2Fiddler]

"It ain't cold less'n you can see your breath."

If we can see your breath, I think it’s more because you’re a ghoti...

 

[MX75D]

So which model X has an engine?

Spotted this once )

 

[Bad Dolphin]

Oddly the videos stopped recording while the police were there.

Has anybody else had run in with the popo and dog mode?

The lady was taking pictures of the license plate. Should we be worried?

We showed the police what dog mode does... They were laughing and taking pictures too.

Oddly the videos stopped recording while the police were there.

Has anybody else had run in with the popo and dog mode?

The lady was taking pictures of the license plate. Should we be worried?

We showed the police what dog mode does... They were laughing and taking pictures too.

Had a similar issue here in Hawaii.

I ran into a grocery store to pick up one item—gone fur a total of 10 minutes. While in the very short check out line, my license plate number was pages and I noticed a young woman at the service counter. I waved and she came over and after hearing her complaint I explained what was going on. Turned out she was parked next to my puppy so she followed me out where I showed her the screen—like with you, one sees the puppy against the window and who would know to look at the screen?

She apologized profusely but I told her that no, she had absolutely done the right thing and I thanked her for caring about my family member.

I think the idea of signs for the unused of at least the side windows is a great idea! They should say that the AC is on and invite people to look at the dash screen to view the actual temperature.

 

[SteveBaker]

Time to write your legislator.

In the interim, when you hang your sign, also hang a fridge thermometer!

Dog not dead...temperature is therefore within acceptable limits!

 

[MX75D]

A dog maybe... every cat I have met has expected to be chauffeured.

Dogs: “They feed me. They must be gods.”
Cats: “They feed me. I must be a god.”

Not toonces the driving cat

 

[SteveBaker]

Perhaps the legislation could say:

It's illegal to shut an animal inside an unattended vehicle UNLESS the vehicle is equipped with suitable cooling which is enabled the entire time the animal is there AND there is a prominent temperature readout that can easily be viewed from outside the vehicle.

That would effectively allow Tesla owners off the hook without saying "UNLESS it's a Tesla".

 

[SOULPEDL]

Thanks for the good laugh this morning. Fun fact on this... if you use Dog Mode, the Sentry Alarm is disabled (last I checked).

I was using Dog Mode for fun, then I thought "what if someone breaks in and the music blares... at the dog!
I guess they thought of this, besides, there's a DOG in the car. Who would steal that car right?

 

[Lucky_Man]

Tin Poodle: The road to hell is lined with....

My story...

Lady#1: “Is this your car?”
Me: “Yes”.
Lady#1: “The police are looking for you.”
Me: “Why?”
Lady#1: “Because I called them to report you for leaving your dogs in the car!”
Me: “Ummm...the A/C is on. Didn't you see all of the signs on the car?”
Lady#1: “No...”
Lady#2: “Is this your car?”
Me: “Yes”
Lady#2: “They are overhead paging you in the store. The police are looking for you.”
Me: “OK”
Lady#2: “You can't leave your dogs in the car..”
Me: “A/C is on,..yada,yada...see the signs...yada,yada...dogs are fine...yada,yada...”
Lady#1&#2: [I don't believe you look]
Me: “Let me show you”

I think I met her at the register in the PetsMart in Issaquah WA. I tried my best to explain 'dog mode', but all she wanted to do is yell that "...it's against the law to leave your pets in the car!" while the cashier kept rolling his eyes at her. Still, I won't fault her for caring.

 

[SteveBaker]

Not toonces the driving cat

Oh - when we get full self driving mode...there will be videos made..."Can haz cheezburg at drive-thru?"...etc.

 

[TheBunk]

Nicely documented - I do feel sorry for the dog in the Van. Maybe they had AC on too. Hmmmm

 

[Lucky_Man]

I do wish the screen was more active. The text is easy to read if you notice it, but doesn't stand out. More animation, maybe a picture of an actual dog instead of a barely-visible balloon animal would be helpful.

How about the car activating a friendly voice - stating an infomercial about 'dog mode', what the interior temperature is, and that the dog is safe. Followed up by a warning that continued peering into this car may indicate a criminal prowl and that local law enforcement may be called.

[What would you think, Elon, is this possible?]